Divine Intervention
by Tessryne
Summary: Levy was nowhere to be found, which irritated Gajeel to no end since they mostly spent all of their time together anymore. But when she finally walks into the guild with a guy at her side, the Iron Dragon Slayer is immediately confronted with emotions he'd never really had to deal with before. How will Gajeel deal with this sudden bout of jealousy? - ( One shot ) -


**-=(Quick one shot entertaining a theme I've been wanting to do for a while; jealousy! No lemons this time, sorry! Still cute, I think, but I might be biased haha. Enjoy and please review if you'd like (: )=-**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

 **Divine Intervention**

It was late afternoon by the time she finally entered the Guild Hall. She hadn't been in the library, where she would have been ninety percent of the time. She hadn't been at her apartment either. Nor had she been at the Magnolia bookstore, or magic store, or at South Gate Park where she sometimes liked to read in the shade of the great center tree.

Gajeel was in a particularly foul mood, since he'd searched for the normally predictable Script Mage all morning and had come up empty handed. They usually spent their days together anymore; him just following her around as a second shadow and merely enjoying the company of her presence, and her enjoying his presence, he supposed. So it came as a surprise to him that when she finally did show up at the Guild Hall she wasn't alone.

The Iron Dragon Slayer sat in a brooding darkness at the end of the bar, his glowing ruby eyes burning with ire for the person standing at Levy's side. In that moment he wasn't quite sure what pissed him off more; that she had completely ignored him today and continued doing so, or the fact that the person beside her was another guy.

He scowled deeply as he continued to watch Levy and the strange guy move around as she introduced him to her friends and guild mates. _He's standing too close to her,_ Gajeel growled in his mind. As the pair moved around he found himself analyzing the guy, subconsciously comparing him to himself. He was tall, just like Gajeel, and had an athletic build, just like Gajeel. The only difference he could see was that this guy had short blonde hair that he kept in a shaggy style and deep green eyes. He also wore glasses and had a satchel over his shoulder, similar to Levy's.

 _A book nerd?_

That thought threatened Gajeel a great deal more than he had ever anticipated, because when it came right down to it; if this guy was a book nerd, he was everything Gajeel was not; everything that Levy loved and enjoyed.

She was still ignorant to his presence. As that thought sunk in a sting of pain shot through him and settled in his heart where it contracted painfully. Reflexively a hand shot to grip at his chest as Gajeel sucked in a breath. It was an alien sensation that made him even more agitated as he pushed it aside in his mind, afraid of what it might mean. Sure, he cared for Levy; she was ironically his first true friend after he'd joined Fairy Tail and had subsequently grew very fond of the blue-haired pixie of a mage. He never allowed himself to think of her as ever being more than a friend, but it seemed his heart had it's own agenda and was staging a coup against the rest of his body.

Sweat beaded his furrowed brows as his heart raced. His mouth went dry and his breaths were quick. Fear...he was suddenly very afraid; another emotion that was mostly foreign to him, but he quickly understood why he was fearful. He was afraid that someone had finally come along to take Levy away from him; to fill the romantic void in her life that he had refused to fill. That thought circled back around to the agitation from the pain in his heart. He'd made a conscious decision long ago that he wasn't good enough for her, but it appeared that his heart was still fool enough to grow deeper feelings towards Levy. She had, after all, a lot to do with his change of heart after all of this time. She had inevitably nestled herself deep within its cold, iron confines, spreading her love and warmth through it and his soul.

He'd also never seen her with another guy, aside from Jet and Droy, which in his mind didn't count. He in no way ever felt threatened by them, knowing that Levy had friend-zoned them long ago. A sudden thought made his eyes widen. Had he been friend-zoned too? Panic suddenly raced through him and he felt a tinge of helplessness as he watched her smile one of her sweet smiles up at the strange male. No. No, he refused to accept that possibility, even though he attempted, and failed miserably, to friend-zone her. _Selfish fool._

Drawing in a deep breath, he finally stood from his stool, raising to his full intimidating height as he walked out from the shadows. _Time to claim my territory,_ he thought darkly as he stalked towards Levy.

Down on the far side of the bar, Mirajane watched Gajeel finally stand and puff out his chest as he made his way to the Script Mage and her guest. A knowing smirk played across her lips before she continued drying out beer mugs.

Gajeel moved with the fluidity and grace of a stalking predator as he closed in on Levy's back, only stopping when he towered over her a mere few inches away. Beside her the blonde man turned his head towards Gajeel, his deep green hues regarding the Iron Dragon Slayer questionably as he was stared down with a murderous glare. Gajeel saw a hint of amusement flicker in the depths of his eyes and it took every ounce of control he had to refrain from socking him on his perfectly sculpted face. In front of him, Levy continued to prattle on with Lucy, oblivious to Gajeel's presence which made the vein at his temple bulge noticeably. Lucy's eyes widened as she glanced up at Gajeel, sensing the male tension; being no stranger to it from her time around Natsu and Gray and tried to subtly point to the Dragon Slayer at Levy's back.

Gajeel had had enough of being ignored.

"Where ya been, Shrimp?" He stated coolly, his tone implying a hint of ownership over her and completely ignoring the man at her side.

Without missing a beat, and seemingly oblivious to Gajeel's tone, Levy whirled around and smiled brilliantly up at him.

"Hey, Gajeel!" Levy's melodious voice filled the space between them, though did little to ease Gajeel's chafed nerves.

"Well?" Gajeel practically growled, his arms crossing over his chest.

"Oh! I'm sorry, how rude of me." Levy giggled then held a hand out, gesturing to the tall blonde man who remained silent. "This is Wren! We met at the book club last night. He's a Script Mage too! Isn't that so cool!" She beamed, obviously tickled to have found someone who shares her same abilities.

 _Fucking wonderful,_ Gajeel groaned inwardly.

"He's new to town and is hoping to join Fairy Tail, so I figured I'd show him around and arrange a meeting with Master." Levy grinned up at the man named Wren.

 _Really fucking wonderful_ , Gajeel growled in his mind as his blood red eyes glared at the man. Something was off, Gajeel could sense it in the air. He openly sniffed at the space between himself and Wren and watched as the man leaned back a hair, a very brief moment of panic crossing his features.

"Hey, you smell familiar. Have we met before?" Gajeel stated flatly, his voice low, threatening.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Wren asked with a miffed tone.

 _Good,_ Gajeel thought as he smirked evilly. _The bastard didn't miss my hint when I spoke to Levy._

As if finally picking up on the tension in the air, Levy took half a step back, her hazel eyes shifting back and forth from Gajeel to Wren, a look of nervousness replacing her previous happy one.

"Wren, this is Gajeel. He's a close friend of mine." Levy stated, and Gajeel beamed inside as her tone implied that he wasn't going anywhere. It was a very brief victory though as his fears of being friend-zoned dashed his joy away. _Well what else did you expect, you moron? A declaration of love?_ He berated himself mentally. His gaze stayed intense as he regarded Wren.

The man shrugged absently, seemingly unimpressed as he offered a half-hearted 'nice to meet you' before turning his attention back to Levy.

Gajeel clenched his fists.

"So, Levy, I was thinking. Since Makarov is busy for the next few hours, would you like to go out to eat with me?" Wren asked, openly ignoring the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Oh!" Levy beamed at the invitation, then just a hint of hesitation crossed her face as she quickly glanced at Gajeel out of the corner of her eyes. "Well..."

Gajeel didn't miss her glance; the sudden uneasiness of being asked on a date in front of him. Without thinking any further, he seized the moment and reached out to gently grab her hand, pulling her over against his side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, so sorry, pal. We've already made plans this afternoon... _and_ tonight." Gajeel stated with a hint of possessiveness that wasn't feigned at all. Beside him, Levy blushed crimson, but didn't dispute Gajeel's sudden lie, too stunned at the moment from his sudden display of jealousy.

"Okay. Maybe tomorrow night?" Wren asked, undaunted.

Gajeel tensed his jaw. "Nope. She's busy then too." He stated flatly, inching a step closer to the man, trying to intimidate him with presence alone. _Keep it up, and I'll knock your teeth in,_ he warned mentally.

Levy finally found her voice. "Okay, Gajeel. Shouldn't we be getting ready?" She asked meekly from his side. She could feel how tense he was beside her; could practically feel his seething aura rolling off of his form. Out of fear and concern for her new friend, she needed to diffuse this situation quickly.

Thankfully, Lucy stepped in. "Here, Wren! Let me continue showing you around the Guild! You'll _love_ the library." She practically purred, causing Natsu to perk his head up with a frown from his seat at a nearby table. He'd been a silent bystander up until this point, listening to the exchanges between Gajeel and Wren with a hint of amusement. Now the newcomer was a real threat to getting between him and Lucy as well. His scent was somewhat familiar to Natsu too, just as Gajeel had stated, and he was on edge as he watched Lucy escort Wren away. He got up after a moment, deciding to tail them.

Gajeel bore a hole into Wren's back with an icy glare until he was out of sight. He could feel Levy looking up at him from his side and he could practically hear the questions circling in her mind. He groaned inwardly. He could hardly answer the questions he asked himself in regards to the bookworm, let alone answer a barrage of her own questions after his display.

"Gajeel..." Levy spoke softly, not sure where to start with the rampant thoughts and emotions that swirled within her. "W-what was _that_ all about?" She asked, her voice soft.

Gajeel groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he lifted his arm from around Levy to pinch the bridge of his nose. "No questions right now, Shrimp." He murmured, finally looking down to meet her stormy hazel eyes.

"I think I deserve some kind of explanation." She said with more calm than she felt. "What's gotten into you?"

Across the way, Elfman interjected on Gajeel's behalf. "It takes a real man to defend his woman!"

Levy felt another blush burning her cheeks, but tried not to let the sudden flutter of butterflies in her gut distract her. "I wasn't in any danger, Elfman!" Levy called, then her voice hushed. "And I'm not his woman."

Gajeel flinched slightly. The truth hurt, but he already knew he had no real claim to her as his own since he'd made a conscious effort for a while to sideline her due to his own self doubt and self loathing.

Levy saw the pain hidden deep in his eyes and she reached out to grab Gajeel's hand.

"Come with me." She said, leading Gajeel towards the doors that led outside.

Levy was thankful that he came along with her without causing more of a scene. Her mind still raced at a frantic pace as she led them towards South Gate Park, where she knew they could talk in peace.

Her mind replayed the whole confrontation from the beginning, realizing now in hind sight that Gajeel had been irritated from the get-go. _Where ya been, Shrimp?_ His question echoed in her mind. He'd been looking for her? Well, they did hang out pretty much every day now, so she supposed her sudden absence without a word had been upsetting to him. What about the intense glare that he had fixed on Wren, or the possessive tone to his voice when he stepped in and deflected Wren's offer for a date? It only meant one thing to Levy, and if she was right, it baffled her. For the longest time she'd gotten the feeling that Gajeel just wasn't interested in her _that_ way.

Levy stopped them beneath the shade of a tree and turned towards the looming Iron Dragon Slayer, their eyes meeting for a few seconds before she finally spoke.

"Were you jealous, Gajeel Redfox?" She asked, getting right to the point.

"No!" He barked a knee-jerk response.

Levy arched a slender brow as she looked up at him. "Then why make up a lie to prevent me from going out on a date with Wren?"

"Tch, that should be obvious." He grumbled, turning his head to the side to avoid her all-knowing gaze.

"Because you were jealous." Levy said haughtily.

"He didn't smell right." Gajeel side-stepped answering the jealousy claim again.

"Gajeel..." Levy sighed tiredly and he managed to bring his gaze back to hers. He swallowed hard.

They stared at each other for a long moment, Levy's eyes beseeching him to enlighten her about the force behind his actions.

"Shit." He swore, finally turning away from her as a hand strayed up to scratch at the back of his head. He sighed heavily. He would tell her. She'd been his friend for this long, he at least owed it to her to lay everything out truthfully, no matter how much his pride suffered.

"I don't deserve you, Levy." He began, his head tilted back as he stared up through the tree canopy above. "I've told myself for a while now that you deserve someone better than me. Someone who's not an asshole. Someone who loves books just as much as you do. Someone who can talk about nerd shit with you...someone like Wren."

He shifted slightly on his feet. "But...when I finally saw the perfect guy that I had wished for you standing beside you today...I...I felt like something very...precious to me was being ripped out of my hands. I felt helpless...and I don't do 'helpless' very well, so I did the only thing I knew how to do; fight for what I want."

Levy stood there silently hanging on every word he spoke, amazed that he was being so open and truthful with her when he was normally so stoic and reserved. Her heart raced in her chest.

"And what do you want, Gajeel?" She asked breathlessly.

That was the million jewel question. He wanted her, he wanted to be the one by her side, but he wasn't certain she felt the same. Ultimately...what he wanted... _Oh, hell. You've already spilled your guts, moron. Just bleed out already,_ he mentally galvanized himself.

"I want it to be me." He murmured.

Levy's heart skipped a beat and she found herself moving around his side to stand in front of him. When he didn't immediately look down at her; still avoiding looking into her eyes, she reached up and cupped his face in her palms, tilting his head down to force his eyes to meet hers.

"It always has been." Levy stated with a smile that sent a shock of warmth through to Gajeel's core, coupled with her words and her gentle touch.

He knelt slightly and wrapped his strong arms around her, crushing her to his chest as he picked her up in a tight embrace. He felt her arms circle around his neck and she hugged him with all of her might.

"Silly, Gajeel." Levy whispered against his ear.

Meanwhile...

Natsu had seen enough of Lucy flirting with Wren. From his hidden vantage point he suddenly bum-rushed through the library with a battle roar and full out tackled the tall blonde man, only, to his utter horror, to find himself sail right through his body to crash unceremoniously into a table piled with books.

Lucy shrieked, having seen the whole thing.

An airy giggle filled the space around them then as the figure of Wren suddenly 'poofed', revealing Mavis standing in his place with a rather mischievous grin on her face.

"What!?" Natsu gaped, scurrying from the destroyed table to stand beside Lucy. "I knew it! I knew you smelled familiar!" He crowed, then cackled.

Lucy still stood there, flabbergasted for another moment as everything sank in. Then she scowled.

"An illusion!? Master Mavis...have you been conspiring with Mirajane again!? I swear!" She sighed heavily as she threw her arms up in exasperation.

"I'm sorry to have misled all of you, but we felt there really was no other way." Mavis apologized with a smile.

"No other way of what?" Natsu asked, cocking his head.

"Gajeel and Levy. They both love each other so much, but they're both too stubborn and afraid to make it known to each other. We just felt like all they needed was a little nudge."

Lucy paled slightly as she spared a glance over at Natsu, silently thankful that they weren't the two subjects of this 'matchmaking' scheme.

Just as she thought that, Mavis sent Lucy another mischevious grin and the Celestial Mage scowled.

"Don't even think about it!" Lucy snapped, her voice echoing in the library.


End file.
